A New Life
by Megamind-loves-Roxanne
Summary: A story I've been slaving on for weeks. I hope you all like it. Helga's family dies and she's forced to an orphanage. Has Arnold/Helga pairing of course although they aren't the main focus. Please review!


A New Life

Thanks you for deciding to read my long story. I had originally planned this to be many parts but I didn't have the time to always have the next chapter out when people asked me. But with this story FINALLY out (I had it planned ever since I think May), I can finally get back to working on my many-chapter story "The Adventure of a Lifetime". I hope you like this story because I've been slaving over it for weeks. Enjoy!

__

I just…wanted to tell you that I know what you're going through so if you ever need someone to talk to…I'll always be there…

A New Life

By Hitomi_Fanel

Guide:

= memories

= thoughts

"…" = dialogue

WARNING! Contains death and if you don't like this sort of thing then don't read.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold. Craig Bartlett does.

"Miriam!" Helga yelled as she walked down the stairs on a Saturday morning.

As usual, her mother was asleep on the kitchen counter with the blender on, making a smoothie. The saliva was running from the corner of her mouth to the counter. 

"Miriam!" Helga yelled as she walked into the kitchen. That was all it took for her to wake up. She jolted up and fixed her glasses. "Huh?"

"Have you seen my lucky glove?" Helga asked as she placed her hands on her hips. She was tired of always being ignored, of her mom and dad always paying more attention to her sister than to her.

"Uh…" her mother considered as she looked around the room. It was hopeless with her. She never knew anything about anything. She was always spaced out and in her own world.

"Forget it," Helga sighed as she went back to her room. She decided to use her regular glove. Even if it wouldn't let her win any games, she was forced to use it.

As she was walking up the stairs to her room her father was descending the stairs with pounding footsteps. He was wearing a suit, something that surprised Helga since she'd never seen her father wear one. It was a rare occasion indeed.

"Miriam!" he yelled as he entered the kitchen. "Are you ready? Olga's going to be here any second!"

"Sure B," she answered as she got up from the stool she was sitting on. She walked over and got her purse, leaving the blender on for Mr. Pataki to turn off.

Where are they going? Helga questioned as she stood at the top of the stairs. And why didn't they tell me about this? Are they really going to go somewhere without me?

She humphed and headed over to her room to get her glove, not caring whether they were going to take her or not.

~~~~~~~~~~

(Note: Lila moved away and Arnold got over her. Just thought you'd want to know ^_^. But he's neutral right now. He doesn't like anyone romantically…yet ^_^)

"Strike three, Football Head!" Helga mocked as she caught the ball in her glove. It was the first time he had striked out. He usually hit a homerun on the third swing. It wasn't like him to strike out.

Arnold frowned at her and walked over to sit on the bench. Just as he was sitting, Sid came running up with a worried look on his face. He ran towards Helga and stopped, breathing hard. "Helga…need to tell you something…"

For once, Helga gave a worried look that no one had seen on her. Maybe once or twice they've seen it but it was a rare opportunity. It was like Mr. Pataki wearing a suit rather than his polo shirt.

"What is it?" Helga asked, noting the urgency in his voice. He wasn't able to talk because he still needed to catch his breath. And she was actually acting patient for once.

"I just saw cops and trucks at your house. The cops were writing stuff down while the people from the trucks were taking all your stuff away."

"What!?" Helga yelled out as she dropped her glove on the floor and started running towards her house. Everyone followed, wondering what was going on.

Just like Sid said, there were about three cop cars and two trucks in front of her house. The cops were probably in the house since Helga didn't see them outside and the people from the two trucks were walking in and out of her house, taking her couches, tables, chairs, etc.

"Hey!" Helga yelled as she reached her house. All the people looked at her, wondering who she was. "What are you doing with our stuff?!"

A tall, male cop came outside, a solemn look on his face. He had buzz cut black hair and a cleft chin. He was muscular and he had blue eyes. "Are you Helga Pataki?" he asked with a light tone.

"Yeah," she answered as all the kids stopped behind her. "What's going on?"

The cop sighed. "I'm sorry to report Miss Pataki but…your family was involved in a car accident."

"What!?!" everyone yelled at the same time. Helga was especially shocked.

The cop continued. "It happened about two hours ago (yes, Helga was playing baseball for more than two hours). A grocery truck was trying to pass a car by going into the opposite direction lane. The road was only two lanes and the truck didn't make it back to the right lane fast enough. Your parent's car was right in front of the truck. They were…too late to avoid it. Half of the car was crushed, killing your parent's instantly. Your sister was left in critical condition but she passed away before she even reached the hospital." He paused and sighed, letting all of this sink in. "I'm…sorry."

No one knew what to say. Sure, Helga was a big bully, but even she didn't deserve something like this. No one deserved to have loved ones die in such a tragic way. {Note: Something like this happened in real life near my hometown. I was riding with my grandparents to Salinas and we passed by a similar scene. A truck had crushed half of the small car, killing the people in the front. I still don't know whether the ones in the back survived although I hope they did. The one in the back could probably have been a baby younger than a year. Can you imagine something like that happening in your own town? It wasn't a pretty sight for me to see, that's for sure.}

Arnold looked at Helga, sadness in his eyes. He was especially sorry for her. He had experienced a similar situation with his own parent's disappearance. Especially now since he felt like he knew Helga even more than Phoebe did. He had seen the nice Helga and had been forced to spend time with her because of projects more times than he can remember.

Now he was seeing the vulnerable Helga again. A girl he wanted to protect against everything and anything. A girl who needed protection. He saw her as she stood there, shaking and not wanting to believe what she was hearing.

"And we don't have records of any other family members, (I don't think Helga has any more family and if she does, then ignore it. In my story she doesn't.) so we've set everything up at the orphanage," the cop said as he flipped through some papers.

"What?!?" Helga exclaimed. "I'm not going to any orphanage!"

"Don't worry about not going to your school with all your friends. You'll still go to P.S. 118."

Helga still looked unsure but eventually she gave in and walked into the house that didn't even belong to her anymore. All it was to her was a building she ONCE called home. But in the future it was going to be someone else's home.

By then, all the kids were leaving Helga to do what she had to do. Even Phoebe left Helga to be alone. Of course, the only one who didn't leave was Arnold. He thought that it was better to talk to Helga than to just leave her alone.

He slipped past the cop and walked up to her room, the door being left open. He saw a suitcase on her bed and Helga was just standing there, facing it and not moving. Her head was bowed, her shoulder's were heaving, and he could hear her sobs.

Poor Helga Arnold thought. She must really be suffering right now

"Helga?" Arnold called softly from the door.

Helga didn't even turn to look at him. She used her forearm to wipe her eyes and continued to have her head bowed. Her sobbing was more controlled, more even. "What do you want Arnold?" Her voice sounded pained, yet irritated.

"I just…wanted to tell you that I know what you're going through so if you ever need someone to talk to…I'll always be there," Arnold answered as he shifted his body from side to side. He didn't really know if she would accept anything from him.

Suddenly, Helga was laughing. But it wasn't a funny laugh. And it wasn't a mocking laugh. It was a hollow laugh. Is she laughing at what I said?

"Can you believe it?" Helga asked to no one in particular. It sounded like she was talking to herself. "Both of my parents are dead, and my sister too, and I'm actually crying about it."

"That's normal Helga. It's normal to cry when the people you love die. Especially the way they did."

For the first time since Arnold entered the room, Helga turned around and faced him. And when she did, he saw traces of tears that had fallen from her face. Her eyes were wet, making her blue eyes shine. On her cheeks were trails of wetness where the tears had fallen. And new ones were falling at the moment.

"That's the thing Arnold," Helga answered to his comment. "I thought I didn't love them all that much. They ignored me most of the time, paying more attention to Olga than to me. There were thousands of times when I wished they would have shown that they loved me even a little but even that was too much to ask for."

Arnold didn't know what to say. Luckily, he didn't have to say anything. Helga continued. "Now I'm crying for them, feeling an emptiness inside of me that I've never felt before. I feel like I lost a part of myself." She bowed her head low and began to cry long and hard.

All Arnold could do was hug her and try to comfort her in her time of need.

~~~~~~~~~~

After many minutes of crying, Helga calmed down and finished collecting her things. She even let Arnold help (although she didn't let him pack "certain things"*wink, wink* ^_~).

Both walked out of the house, each of them holding four suitcases. The two trucks were gone and all that was left was the cop. He opened the door of the car for her. "Are you ready Miss Pataki?"

Helga looked back at the place she once called home. Yet all she saw were empty rooms. There were no memories, no pictures, and no trophies. Everything…was gone. Just like a piece of her heart that she hoped she could fill soon.

She looked back at the cop. "Yeah. I'm ready."

"Remember Helga," Arnold said quietly but sweetly as the cop collected her bags and put them into his car. "You can always talk to me when you feel sad. You can talk to me about anything."

On Helga's face appeared a small smile. "Thanks Arnold." She descended the stairs but turned back to him. "I guess I'll see you at school as soon as I can."

Arnold smiled back lazily. "Sure. See you then."

Helga climbed into the car and they drove off as Arnold just stood on the top of the steps, looking at the car as it drove out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~

The orphanage was like any orphanage. There were many kids there without parents who were running around, causing trouble for the nurses that worked there. The only difference about this one was that it was bigger than Helga would have ever imagined. It was about 15 stories tall (like an office building), and it held over 200 rooms. Of course, not all of them were being occupied.

The cop took her to the reception desk. "Hello," he greeted the black receptionist who was writing on some papers. "I've brought Miss Pataki."

The receptionist looked at Helga. "Daughter of Mr. Bob and Miriam Pataki?"

"Yes ma'am," Helga responded shyly, softly, and sadly.

The receptionist looked at the cop. "Thank you. We'll take care of her now."

The cop nodded and left as the receptionist walked from around the desk to stand in front of Helga. "I heard what happened, and I'm sorry to hear it," she said softly. She sounded like she was apologizing.

Helga only nodded sadly as the receptionist told her to follow her. 

As they walked the hallways, Helga noticed all the other children who were left without parents. Many were younger than she was. She even saw a baby who didn't even look like he had his first year. In fact, he looked like a newborn. But then they were also kids there who looked like they were old enough to leave. There were kids of all kinds there. Now they were adding one more.

"Here's your room," the receptionist said as she opened a door, revealing a room with four beds, a bathroom, and lots of personal stuff. Two of the beds were pink, and the other two were blue. 

The receptionist left and Helga walked over to the bed that didn't have anything next to it. Luckily it was pink, just like Arnold liked.

The door opened and Helga looked towards it. She saw a girl around 15 enter, holding the hand of a boy of about 6. "You must be the new girl," the 15 year-old said with a cheery voice. "I'm Arlusa and this is Calvin, my little brother."

"I'm Helga." Helga's eyebrow went up. "Arlusa? What kind of name is that?"

Arlusa frowned as Calvin detached himself from his older sister and went to play with his little toy cars. "Oh? And Helga is supposed to be a common name?"

Helga humphed and went back to her suitcases and started unpacking them. And of course she brought her Arnold shrine and everything having to do with Arnold. She wasn't going to leave that stuff behind to be sold. Especially when someone would discover it and then josh her. (No it's not a mistake. "Josh" means, "mock", "taunt", and "make fun of".)

_I just…wanted to tell you that I know what you're going through so if you ever need someone to talk to…I'll always be there_

Helga smiled at the memory. I'm glad Arnold is nice enough to tell me I can count on him, even after I've taunted him for so long She took out her locket.

"Who's that?" Arlusa asked with a smile as she pointed her thin white finger at the picture in the locket. "He's cute."

Helga blushed. "H-His name is Arnold. He's…a friend of mine."

Arlusa smiled when she noticed the blush on Helga's face. "Are you sure your only friends? It seems like you're more than that."

Helga frowned at Arlusa but decided that instead of picking a fight, she should find out what things they did here because it seemed to Helga that she was going to be there for a VERY long time.

Helga put the locket back in her shirt as she faced the tall redhead with crystal blue eyes. "What do you guys do here anyway? What kinds of activities do you do?"

Arlusa smiled and headed over to her own bed and sat down on the edge. "We do plenty here. We go on field trips to cool places, we go camping with the nurses, we have carnivals, we have parties. All those cool things." Her smile widened at a thought. "And you came just in time. Tomorrow is the annual festival that's held in Central Park. It's a festival only for orphans."

Helga went and sat on her own bed. "Is all this done only on the weekends since there's school and all?"

Arlusa nodded. "Most of us can't wait for school to end for the week because we know that when we come back here, there will always be something exciting waiting for us." She paused. "You'll love it here."

That seemed to be Helga's cue to ask Arlusa about herself. "What about you Arlusa? How did you end up here?"

The laughter and happiness that was in Arlusa's eyes when she entered the room was now gone, replaced by an eternal sadness that no one could seem to wipe from her face. Helga was beginning to feel sorry she had asked. Arlusa looked down at the floor and sighed. "My parents were witnesses to a crime 2 years ago and some mob was after them. The four of us went under the care of the government with the Witness Protection Program but they still found us out. My brother and I were in the park while my parents stayed home. When we got back…we found them dead on the floor." Tears streamed down her eyes but since it had been two years since it happened, and because she also swore it would never happen again, she didn't cry.

Helga stood up from her bed and walked over to Arlusa. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I guess I shouldn't have asked."

Arlusa shook her head as she wiped her tears. "It's okay. It's not like it should be any secret. All of us here lost our family so no one is more worse off then the other. Besides," she said as she tried to smile bravely. "It has been two years. I've recovered in that time." She looked at Helga as if she remembered something. "How come you aren't crying for your dead family? You came here as if nothing."

Helga sighed and walked back to her bed. She decided to unpack as she talked. "Where do I start? It all goes back when I was 3 or so."

Arlusa waited with patience. "It's okay. I'll listen."

Helga looked at her and smiled in gratitude, then went back to unpacking. "Okay. It all started on a rainy day…"

~~~~~~~~~~

"…and that's how it was," Helga finished as she sat on the bed, her hands in her lap as she looked down at them. She had spent the last hour or so telling Arlusa about her life and why she wasn't as sad about her family's death. It was already late in the afternoon and the sun was already beginning to set over the tall towers of New York. She had already finished packing half an hour ago, so all her things were neatly put away in their place next to her bed.

Arlusa was unable to say anything about what Helga had told her. And as it turned out, the boy Helga had called "only a friend" was in fact much more to her although by the looks of it, he only cared about her as a friend.

The both of them were interrupted by a knock at the door. All three (you haven't forgotten about Calvin have you? ^_^) turned their heads to look at the visitor. Helga knew who it was. She smiled, although a little sadly.

"Hi Pheebs," Helga greeted as she made her way from her bed to the door. She WAS a little shocked that Phoebe was there but she was glad nonetheless.

"Helga," Phoebe said softly as she hugged her friend. "It's good to see you."

Helga smiled nervously. "What are you talking about Pheebs? You just barely saw me a couple of hours ago."

Phoebe looked up at Helga. "I know but I felt a little wretched that I didn't stay with you until you left. I should have been there for you in your time of need."

Helga smiled bravely. "It's okay Pheebs. Arnold was there to comfort me."

Phoebe smiled in a way that made Helga blush. She knew what Phoebe was thinking. You probably liked the fact that Arnold was comforting you, didn't you?

They separated and Helga decided to introduce the two ladies. She pointed to Phoebe as she looked at Arlusa. "Arlusa, meet my best friend in the world, Phoebe Heyerdahl. Phoebe, meet Arlusa."

Both exchanged their share of 'pleased to meet you's and Arlusa smiled at Phoebe. "So you're the wonderful best friend Helga told me about?"

Phoebe blushed but nodded. She was glad Helga was such a good friend to say such a nice thing about her. She turned to Helga. "Everyone's worried about. They're anxious to see how you're doing here and they all want to hear about it on school Monday."

Helga smiled bravely although she hated to have to say anything to everyone at school. "Sure Pheebs. I'll be there. Just make sure you find some way to get them to not bother me. I don't really feel like explaining to any of them."

"Alright Helga," Phoebe answered with a smile. Then she hugged Helga again. "I'll see you soon then."

"Sure."

Phoebe said goodbye to both of them and left.

Arlusa looked at Helga from her position on the bed. "Phoebe's seems like a really good friend."

Helga smiled. "She's the best. Although I was sad that I couldn't invite her to the festival tomorrow. But like you told me, orphans only."

Arlusa nodded. "No one else is allowed to attend."

Both began to notice that the sun was already setting and it was nearly 8. A nurse came in to announce that it was time to go to sleep since they had the festival tomorrow.

Arlusa helped her brother Calvin into bed and said good night to Helga who returned it.

Helga waited a while (to make sure Arlusa and Calvin were asleep) before she took out her locket of Arnold. "Oh, my love. Such a cruel thing that I live even farther from you than before. Now I am cursed to see you only at school where I'll continue to torment you and ridicule you. And who knows what thoughts of me you'll have when I'm still the cruel and evil person you know, even after my family's death." She sighed, stuffed the locket under her shirt again, and went to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

On Sunday, all the children were awaked at 8 a.m. and sent to take a shower before breakfast. Helga felt a little weird about it since it was her first time but luckily everyone had their own personal shower room.

She didn't separate from Arlusa, who showed her the ropes, and they even sat together in the lunch hall. The whole staff of people were very nice but Helga didn't want to deal with them. Better not to get too friendly with them. The only one she wanted to trust was Arlusa, and that was because she was forced in a way (since their roommates).

Once they were done eating, they were sent to their rooms to pack some things like a change of clothes and then meet outside where they would board the buses that would take them to Central Park.

It was a smooth ride, which Helga had spent most of the time talking with only Arlusa. Arlusa herself didn't seem to know many people, even though she had spent two years in that orphanage. It was something Helga couldn't believe at first.

The day was sunny, the sky was clear, and the park was practically empty. It was weird to Helga to see the park so deserted. Usually there were kids and people everywhere.

Helga and everyone else got off the bus and discovered a whole bunch of stuff for them to do. There were stands where they gave away free ice cream, cotton candy, and then there were other stands where you could play to win a prize. It was free but the thought of earning the prize instead of just getting it was fun and rewarding. There was even a large merry-go-round and a Ferris wheel. Helga headed there first. She got on, alone, and waited as they rest of the carts were being loaded.

She sat there, waiting for the moment when she would reach the top so she could see the familiar buildings that were near her old home. She could probably even see Arnold's boarding house from where she was.

Suddenly, the tears began to roll down her eyes. She wiped them away. Yesterday was I was in my house, yelling at Miriam because I couldn't find my lucky glove, and now I'm here, without them. They didn't listen to me or even notice me, yet I still feel an emptiness inside of me that I don't think can even be filled

The thought hurt her so much that she began to cry. Luckily, she cried quietly and the ride had stopped at the top like she had hoped. Instead of concentrating on her house, she seeked out Arnold's. Unfortunately, even from where she was she couldn't see his house. She wiped her tears as she felt the ride move again.

Once she was let off, she went off alone when no one was looking and hid behind a tree. She didn't want to have fun anymore. She only wanted to be alone.

She doubled her legs together and let her head rest against them as she cried quietly once again. She was totally unaware that someone was watching her…

~~~~~~~~~~

When the day was almost through and the sun was beginning to set, the children were all called back to the bus for counting before they would head off to the orphanage again.

Helga hadn't missed the announcement. After all the crying she did, she fell asleep but awoke to noise of the whistle. She hurried over to the bus and found Arlusa standing there, carrying a large light blue bear with a red bow around it's neck. With her other hand she held onto Calvin who only held a small lion. He looked happy while Arlusa just looked relieved that Helga was okay.

"Where were you?" Arlusa asked softly. "I was hoping you would play some games with us. We were looking for you everywhere."

Helga glared at her, but said nothing. She didn't want to talk to anyone. She was still in the stage where you finally let it sink in that your family was gone and that you were all alone. She climbed the bus and sat down.

Arlusa and Calvin weren't too far behind. They both sat down with her and again Arlusa was trying to get some information from Helga. Helga still wouldn't say anything. She refused to talk. She just wanted to be left alone.

Arlusa got the message fairly quickly and didn't say anything else during the trip back. Helga ignored the sounds all around her.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was pretty much the same. Helga shut herself out from everyone as she got ready for school. She actually felt bad when Arlusa didn't talk to her but decided it was for the best.

The bus came to pick her up and it felt weird for Helga. She had to get up even earlier than usual and go through a long bus ride towards school. She knew by the driver and the number on the bus that it was the same one she had always taken, but for some reason, it didn't feel the same.

Helga wasn't surprised when Phoebe got on the bus. She was cheery, like always, but Helga felt that it wouldn't be the same with anyone…even Phoebe.

Phoebe walked up to Helga and smiled as she sat down. "Helga," Phoebe said excitedly. "I'm ecstatic that you're still going to attend the same school as the rest of your classmates."

"Yeah Pheebs," Helga said without emotion. She stared out the window as if all the passing cars and trees were the most interesting things in the world.

Phoebe was able to notice it right away. "Helga? Are you alright?" she asked with a worried tone.

Helga sighed and let her head lean on the cold glass. The sun wasn't even out yet and the day looked dreary, much like how Helga felt. "No. I don't think I'm okay. I feel…I don't know. Maybe you could say depressed, out of it."

Phoebe nodded with understanding. "Yes Helga. You are experiencing the aftermath shock. It's natural."

Helga turned to looked at her with her weary eyes sucked clean of any emotion. "How do you know that Pheebs?" she asked with slight annoyance. "You don't know what it's like to loose your family and feel confused about it."

Phoebe gave her a uncomprehending look. "Confused? Why are you confused?"

Helga sighed and continued to look out the window. "Forget it," she said softly, her voice again sounding empty.

"Helga," Phoebe said in a motherly tone as she placed a hand on Helga's shoulder. "Don't shut me out. If you feel any anxiety, you should share it so I can understand what's wrong."

Helga merely shook her head as the bus stopped at the familiar stop that Helga had practically memorized into her head. They were picking up Arnold.

She didn't bother to look up since she didn't want him to see her in this state.

_ I just…wanted to tell you that I know what you're going through so if you ever need someone to talk to…I'll always be there_

The words rang once again in Helga's memory but she decided not to involve Arnold and not let herself be comforted by him. Best to just act the way she always acted, as though nothing happened. She let a frown come to her face, even if there was nothing to frown about.

"Hey Helga," Arnold greeted as he stopped and sat down next to them. "Hey Phoebe." The bus lunged forward but they stayed composed. Arnold looked at Helga. "Are you okay?" he asked, hoping to hear how her weekend in the orphanage went.

Helga turned to him and glared. "What do YOU want, Football Head?"

Arnold looked shocked at her out burst and it caused Helga's heart to hurt even more. However, she didn't sway.

"I just wanted to know how you fared," Arnold wondered, hurt audible in his voice.

Helga scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Not that it's any of your business, Football Head but it went terrible. Now would you please leave?"

Arnold didn't want to argue so he got up and headed towards the back, his face contorted into a pained expression.

Phoebe turned to Helga. "Why did you do that Helga?" she asked with shock.

"Pshw. Like it matters. I'm back to my old self, that's all."

Phoebe looked disappointed but didn't say anything. Why argue with Helga. A though came to her then. Is she even Helga G. Pataki anymore? Or is she simply Helga until she's adopted?

The bus ride to school was a quiet one.

~~~~~~~~~~

If anyone asked, people could tell you that Helga acted even more vile that usual. She picked on anyone who hadn't even done anything, she teased and ridiculed Arnold even more than before, she pounded people who even dared to ask her what happened at the orphanage or any type of information. She was just one ticked off girl.

Arnold forgave her even more than before because he knew she was going through a difficult time and this was probably the only way to forget or to let it out. He understood completely.

But did he really?

Helga was glad when school was out and she was able to go back to a place she didn't even call home. She didn't have a home and she probably never would. No one would adopt an aggressive girl who had problems dealing with her anger and sorrow.

She walked into the building and when the receptionist saw her, she bolted up and walked around the desk towards her. "Helga."

"What?" Helga wondered, a little ticked off still by the bad day.

The black receptionist grabbed Helga's hand. "Mrs. Halodeen would like to see you."

Helga let herself be dragged by the receptionist. She knew who Mrs. Halodeen was. She was the head of this place. She decided who went and who stayed when people came, asking for a child. She handled the money, organized the parties and fund raisers, everything. She was a very nice old woman but Helga still wondered what she wanted.

They had to take the elevator since Mrs. Halodeen's office was at the very top. It took a while to get there but Helga wasn't in any hurry. Whatever it was she wanted, Helga was going to have to go through with it.

The reached the floor where a long hallway was. The carpet was brownish-red, the walls were Indian brown, and the borders and corners were gold painted. There were pictures hanging on the wall of all of the leaders of this orphanage and Helga stared at them as she followed the receptionist towards the end of the hall where large, double wooden doors were.

"Wait here," the receptionist ordered as she closed the door enough to go through. Helga placed her ear towards the door and heard a lot of murmuring. She couldn't make out any words at all.

Finally there was silence and Helga was able to hear the beat of her own heart. It seemed like hours before the receptionist finally came back out and told Helga she could come in.

Helga took a deep breath and stepped through the doors.

What she saw was something Helga would never believe. A man and a woman were standing and looking at her, looking happy. Mrs. Halodeen was also standing and smiling at her. For a second Helga couldn't believe what was going on. Am I seeing clearly? Am I going to be…?

Mrs. Halodeen, with her graying light brown hair tied up into a loose bun, pointed to the two people with her palms out. "Helga, I would like you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Burdenane. And yes, they're here to adopt you."

Helga was in complete shock as she stared at the smiling couple. She looked at Mrs. Burdenane with her layered reddish-brown, shiny hair and light skin. She was dressed in a pink business suit and she looked like the mom Helga had always dreamed of having (instead of Miriam).

She turned her head towards Mr. Burdenane. He was tall, well built, with his dark brown hair and nice smile. He had all his hair (which was combed nicely) and he wore a brown business suit. And he did that "putting one hand in the pocket" that people like him did (business people). Both appeared to be in their late twenties.

Mrs. Burdenane took a step towards Helga, as if she were afraid. "We're pleased to meet you Helga. We've heard some wonderful things about you." It struck Helga then that they didn't seem afraid of her. They were only nervous and happy from the fact that they were adopting.

Helga scowled. "How could you have heard wonderful things about me when no one here really knows me. I just came."

Mrs. Halodeen stepped from behind her desk and stood between the couple. "We realize that Helga but I'm a very keen person and I could tell that of all the people here, you are probably the one who needs a loving family the most."

Helga rolled her eyes. "A loving family," she recited with mock. "I stopped believing in fairy tales when I was three."

"Helga," Mrs. Halodeen said softly. "We want what's best for you and from what the Burdenane's have told me, they seem to be the right ones for the job. Please give them a chance."

Helga considered it. But what if I never see Arnold or Phoebe again? What if they make me change schools? I couldn't bare the thought of not having them with me

"We understand about your school," Mr. Burdenane said softly. "We won't make you change. We actually live down the street from P.S. 118."

Helga's eyes widened as she turned to them. "Are you serious?"

Mr. Burdenane nodded and smiled wide. He placed a hand over his heart. "And if I lie, then let God shoot me with lightning right this second."

Helga's eyes saddened. He's joking with me. My dad never did that with me…

"Everything is already set," Mrs. Halodeen said as she went and sat down behind her desk. "You may take her whenever she has finished gathering her things."

Helga was still in complete shock as the two happy people made their way towards her and hugged her. "We're so happy to have you Helga," Mrs. Burdenane cried. "I'm not able to have children and having a child is my greatest fantasy. You are the one who's making my fantasy come true."

Helga felt a little bad for Mrs. Burdenane. Now they're stuck with me. They're going to be disappointed when they really get to know me

The receptionist led Helga back to her room as the Burdenane's stayed behind to sign the release forms.

(Author's note: Okay, I realize that Helga just got there and already she's adopted but I couldn't really think up of anything for her to do at the orphanage. And I know that it probably takes weeks before you're approved of being able to adopt but Mr. and Mrs. Burdenane already did everything that was required and all that was left was for them to meet the kid and sign the release papers. Now is where the story starts to brighten up. A lot of happy things are in store for Helga. So go ahead and read on to find out what happens.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Helga was in the room she had only occupied for two days and she had told Arlusa the news. Arlusa was happy for her and she cried tears of joy and hugged her friend.

"I'm going to miss you Helga," Arlusa said as she hugged Helga. "You were a really good friend."

Helga pulled away slowly and went back to packing. "This isn't a final goodbye Arlusa. I'll come and visit."

Hope shone through her eyes. "Really? You won't forget me even after you leave with your new family?"

Helga cringed at the word "family". She didn't consider the people who were taking her away from here family. She had no family and she never did.

Calvin came by and hugged her as well. Helga looked curiously at him. "By the way, how come in the whole time I've been here, he hasn't said one word?"

Arlusa whispered the answer. "When we found our parent's dead, he was in so much talk that he lost the ability to talk. He was barely 4 and he was just learning. But the shock was too much for him."

Helga looked at poor Calvin as the receptionist came in the room. "Ready Helga dear?"

Helga nodded slowly and picked up her suitcase. All the other things she had brought had already been taken. Helga turned to Arlusa. "I'll see you later."

Arlusa smiled bravely. "Sure."

Helga followed the receptionist out the door and towards her new life…

(Author's note: Okay, maybe you think it's mean that no one had adopted poor Arlusa and Calvin yet even after they've been there for 2 years but don't worry. I have something in store for those two that'll make you and them happy. ^_^ )

~~~~~~~~~~

The ride towards the Burdenane's house was a quiet one. Helga didn't want to talk to them and she was sort of surprised when they didn't push her. They also remained silent as if respecting her privacy.

Helga looked out the window and saw her school come into view. The same old school she thought with a little bit of happiness. I don't ever want to leave that place for fear that I'll never see Arnold or Phoebe again

The car pulled up into the parking lot of the apartments that the Burdenane's lived in and Helga stared at a place that everyone else would call home for her except her.

Mr. Burdenane opened the door and acted like a limousine driver as he used his hand to usher her out. "We're here my lady."

Helga looked at him skeptically but said nothing as she got out of the car, dragging her suitcase with her. She stopped and looked up at the purplish-red building that she hadn't noticed there before, even if she had gone to school right across the street from it. (Note: Okay, I may be wrong about the building. Okay, I'm pretty sure I AM wrong but I thought it was easier and better if Helga lived really close to the school. I'm a sucker for everyone's happiness and I didn't want to make Helga move away as a result of the adoption. Let's just say that this is a BIG coincidence that they live so close ^_^ ).

When Mr. Burdenane had all of Helga's luggage (at least the luggage they brought because there is more), all three of them went into the building and climbed the stairs.

Mrs. Burdenane turned towards Helga as they walked. "You'll love the house Helga. It's a nice little place and we already set up your room. We hope you like it."

Helga didn't trust herself to speak so she merely nodded her head. Will I really like living with these people? She smirked If I don't, I could always run away

When it was completely night out, they finally reached the apartment labeled A-23 (Note: No, they did not take forever to climb the stairs. It was already pretty dark out when they arrived. Remember people, it's Monday and Helga had to go through school, meeting these two people, packing, driving from across the city, etc.).

Mr. Burdenane put the suitcases down as he searched for his key. Then he opened the door and let Helga be the first to go through.

Helga picked up the suitcase she had (a small pink one) and stepped through. She found herself standing in the nicest house she had ever lived in. The carpet was white and the Burdenane's owned black leather couches and recliner chairs. There was a very nice kitchen with a steel refrigerator, and they even owned a large screen TV that would have been her late dad's envy. In front of her was a glass sliding door that led to a large balcony with flowers and potted plants (and they even had a hammock (I got the idea from Jungle to Jungle starring Tim Allen ^_^ )). To the left of the living room was the hallway where the rooms were. It was a truly magnificent place.

"So," Mr. Burdenane's voice sounded right next to her, "what do you think?" He sounded like he already knew the answer but he still wanted to hear it from her.

Helga, however, didn't want to get too cozy or to say exactly what she thought. Better to lie to them then get hurt. She shrugged. "It's okay."

Mr. Burdenane seemed disappointed in Helga's response but decided not to show it. He walked towards her room and Helga followed.

"This is your room," he said with the cheerfulness back as he opened the door. Helga again was forced to walk through like some person who had been waiting for a store to open for some time. Her room was fairly nice. She had her own balcony like the one in the living room and her bed was pink with red hearts (actually, I think they're the same sheets she's always had during the series) and she had a purple desk with a very updated computer. Her closet was next to the door and her walls were pink and bare, waiting for Helga to hang anything she wanted on them.

"We'll let you get settled in," Mr. Burdenane said as he handed her, her suitcases. He walked out the door and closed it.

Helga wondered if they would talk about her while they thought she was busy so she opened the door a little to hear their conversation.

"Do you think she really likes it here?" Mrs. Burdenane questioned her husband as Helga heard the water running.

"I don't know. I hope so."

"I heard from Mrs. Halodeen that the poor girl lived a terrible life with her real parents. Can you imagine what she must have lived through with a family who didn't even care about her? No wonder she acts the way she does."

A silence that Helga took as Mr. Burdenane nodding. "You're right. It must have been really tough. But don't worry. She'll have all the love she needs with us. We'll take her to ball games, water parks, and all those fun places."

"Yeah." The water stopped running. "And we can help her do her homework and maybe me and her can even have a girl slumber party, just the two of us like a mom and daughter would do." Another silence and when Mrs. Burdenane spoke again, her voice was sad. "If she even begins to consider me as her mom. She seems like a very sheltered girl. She protects herself from the people around her by shutting them out and acting mean."

"Well then, we'll just have to get through her wall and show her the love that her other family lacked in giving her. She'll eventually open up."

"I hope you're right."

Helga couldn't take it anymore. The guilt was too much for her. She closed the door, walked back to her new bed, and sat down. Those people really care about me Helga thought with sadness and happiness at the same time. But how can they when they barely even know me?

Helga went back to unpacking her things, all the while thinking that maybe the Burdenane's weren't as bad as Helga had thought they would be. She placed her Arnold shrine in her closet but probably thought that the only reason she was so devoted to him was because just thinking about him helped her get through her problems at home. So maybe I won't have to be so obsessed about him. Don't get me wrong. I still love him. He's the only one who cared about me when I thought no one did

When almost her whole room was done, a knock sounded at her door. Helga turned to look at who it was and discovered that it was Mr. Burdenane. "It's time for bed Helga," he said in a fatherly tone.

Because of how they had treated her, Helga decided to make life easy for them. She nodded and headed off to bed. "Good night Mr. Burdenane."

Helga saw him cringe slightly at the fact that she wasn't calling him 'dad' yet. But he smiled nonetheless. "Good night Helga."

He closed the door and Helga fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, Helga woke up feeling so much better from the events of the past couple of days. She went and dressed in her regular clothes and got her school things together.

I wonder what I'll tell everyone when I get to school Helga thought as she stuffed a notebook into her bag. She zipped it up and swung it around her shoulder.

Should I tell them or should I keep it to myself she wondered as she exited her room. She found Mrs. Burdenane in the kitchen. She looked like an all-American mom with her flowery dress and purple apron. Her hair was type up into a loose bun and she had flour on her face and hands. She looked like she was baking something.

Mrs. Burdenane noticed Helga's presence in the room and she looked up, surprised to see her. She stopped what she was doing and acted like she was trying to hide something. Well, actually that was exactly what she was trying to do. She had been busy all morning making something for Helga (hehe. I'm not going to tell you what it is yet J ).

"Helga," Mrs. Burdenane exclaimed, surprised. "What are you doing?"

Helga gave her this puzzled look. "I'm going to school. Is that a crime?"

Mrs. Burdenane chuckled. "I guess Robert didn't tell you. He was always one to forget."

Helga became even more confused. "Robert? Who's that?"

Mrs. Burdenane looked like she remembered something. She chuckled again. "I'm sorry. You don't know our names. We've only been known as Mr. and Mrs. Burdenane to you. Robert is Mr. Burdenane and I'm Olivia Burdenane." She finished hiding what she was hiding (^_~) and stepped from around the counter. "Well, go and drop your things off in your room. You're not going to school today."

Helga was still confused. "Why?"

"Robert and I are taking you for out for a day. We think you deserve it and we deserve to get to know you better." She walked up to Helga and took her bag. "I'll go and drop it off and then I'll go get ready. Robert should be out soon." She headed over to her own room and closed the door.

Helga took this opportunity to look at what Mrs. Burdenane had been making. She opened the cabinet under the counter and found a beautiful cake in white icing. On all the corners was a real pink rose with its green leaves on each side and in the middle was some fancy writing in purple icing. It read:

_For Helga, our new joy. Welcome to the family and we hope you'll grow to love us like we have grown to love you. Love you forever, your new loving parents, Robert and Olivia Burdenane_

(Note: Yes, all of that fit on the cake. It's small lettering ^_^)

Helga was in tears as she read the message on the cake. She hadn't expected them to make something like that for her. They care even more than I thought she concluded as she closed the cabinet. She heard the door from her 'parents' room open and jumped. She looked up to see Mr. Burdenane come out in jeans and a red polo shirt. His hair was nicely combed, although still wet.

He smiled when he saw Helga. "Good morning Helga."

Helga didn't want to see him cringe at her lack of the word 'dad' so she simply replied, "Good morning."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry for not telling you about our little outing. I was so excited about having you here with us that it slipped my mind."

Helga gave him a slightly sad look. "I hope you don't become like my parents where they forget about me," she whispered. She had thought he didn't hear her.

He did hear.

"Helga," he said softly as he walked up to her and hugged her. "We won't forget about you. We understand the life you must have led but we won't be that way with you. We're going to give you our whole support and love."

Helga smiled, despite herself. "Thanks."

Mr. Burdenane pulled away and sat down on one of the recliners. He looked at Helga and patted the one beside him. "Come on. Let's watch some TV together while Olivia gets ready." He laughed. "She'll probably take forever."

Helga nodded with a smile and sat down as he turned it on and surfed the channels. He wanted to watch something that both of them would like.

It didn't seem to take long. They both settled on the FOX version of "Anastasia" with voice Meg Ryan. They laughed at the parts with Bartock and smiled at the romantic parts between Dimitri and Anastasia. (I love that movie! That's why I chose it ^_^). (Disclaimer: I don't own the movie "Anastasia" but I do love it ^_^)

When the movie was just about over and the ending songs (which Helga loved) played, Mrs. Burdenane came out wearing loose fitting jeans and a large green shirt that she tucked in her pants. She supported her pants by a black belt and she wore black loafers. Her hair was nicely groomed and she had it the same way she did yesterday, only that this time she had a butterfly clip on each side and she wore less make-up. She had applied a soft pink lip-gloss, some blush, and pinkish peach eye shadow. She was smiling like always. "Ready to go," she saluted with a chuckle.

Robert (yeah I'm going to call him that from now on like Olivia) smiled and nodded. He stood up and Helga did the same. "Let's go," he announced.

~~~~~~~~~~

They walked down the stairs and towards the car. Helga looked at her school but she could tell that everyone was in class already. She was wondering what they were thinking about her not being there. Especially Arnold and Phoebe. They're probably worried about me she thought as she climbed into the car.

After minutes, they were on the road. Robert looked at Helga by using the rear-view mirror. "I hope you like the restaurant we chose to take you for breakfast. It's a nice place that's owned by Olivia's parents."

"So you would call them my grandparents?" Helga inquired.

Robert and Olivia looked at each other…and smiled after a while. Then they turned to look at the road. "Yeah," Robert answered. "They are."

Helga began to get a little nervous at meeting the two new people. Will they like me? Will I like them? I really hope today doesn't go bad

Olivia didn't waste any time in talking to Helga. She looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "So Helga, who are your friends at school?"

Helga didn't turn to look at her and instead kept her gaze looking outside the window. "A girl named Phoebe's my best friend and I have Rhonda, Sheena, and Nadine."

Olivia smiled. "What about a boyfriend?" she asked with a hint of mischief.

Helga blushed at deep red. "N-No! Why would I have a stupid thing like that! I'm only 9!" she snapped at her.

Helga was a little surprised when she saw a smile on Olivia rather than a hurt look for Helga snapping at her. She even chuckled and looked at Robert who looked back with the same amusement. It seemed that both of them understood. She didn't have a boyfriend but she had a crush on someone. Helga still blushed and turned to look out the window again. She saw the many everyday cars pass by and even noticed that they were taking her out of the city and towards the country.

"How about one of these days you invite all your friends for a day at the carnival in town?" Olivia wondered. "It's going to be here for three weeks. We can take all of them this weekend."

Helga knew they would probably pay for everything. Helga didn't know what each did but it seemed to her that her new parent's had a lot of money. "I'll have to ask them," Helga responded and smiled, despite herself. She knew that none of them would reject the offer. Well, maybe Arnold and Rhonda would. Arnold would say I appreciate it Helga but I don't want to take advantage of someone's hospitality like that and Rhonda would say Do you actually THINK I would go to a dinky little fair when I can go to Paris this weekend? I don't think so It was enough to make Helga laugh.

Robert and Olivia both gave her puzzled expressions, although they actually seemed happy as well. "What's so funny?" Robert asked as he chuckled. It seemed that laughing was contagious.

Helga managed the calm down after a while. It felt good to laugh again. "I was just thinking about what two of my friends would say if I asked them to the carnival. It seems I know all of them too well."

"How long have you known them?" Robert asked as they pulled up a parking lot.

"I've known everyone in my class since I was three," she answered as she looked out the window, all the humor gone. Remembering when she was three brought back the memory of when her parents didn't pay attention to her and she was forced to walk to preschool alone. Of course, that's how she met Arnold and that made her smile.

"Alright," Robert said as he unbuckled his safety belt, "we're here."

Helga got out of the car and looked at where they had stopped. It appeared to be a nice location in the grassy part of New York State. The restaurant also looked nice with its shiny glass windows and revolving door. The top read: Grandma's diner in cursive writing and it looked nicer than the diners in New York. Cars were parked outside and people were inside eating and laughing while an old man (she suspected was her new grandpa) sat in a chair and talked. Helga could hear the laughs he was getting.

"Come on Helga," Olivia urged as both of the Burdenane's stood near the door.

Helga nodded and followed them inside.

The inside proved to be even nicer than the outside. There was a counter with clear through glass so you could see the different breads they had, and they had a revolving cake stand like the door. Near the window sat the people, enjoying the feel of the warm sun on their skin. Many were paying attention to the old man on the stage as he told jokes that even Helga found funny. She laughed as Olivia and Robert guided her towards the counter where a nice old lady was, serving another man some coffee.

The old lady noticed them and she smiled. "Olivia dear. I'm so glad you could come."

Olivia walked around the counter and hugged her mom tightly. "Sorry we haven't visited in a while but we've been a little busy," she said as she moved her head towards Helga.

Helga stood there, looking a little nervous as the old ladies face brightened. "What a nice young girl you got! She looks so sweet!" She made her way towards Helga and hugged her fiercely. Helga didn't mind. She could feel the love this woman was pouring out to her, even if she didn't even know her.

She pulled away and walked back to where Olivia was. "Why don't you three have a seat while grandpa finishes up his act? Then we can introduce the young lady to him."

"Sure," Olivia said as she walked back towards Helga and Robert. They walked towards an empty booth and sat down, Helga on her own side and Robert and Olivia on the other.

"You guys never told me what you do for a living," Helga asked out of the blue.

Robert chuckled. "Well, I don't think you would considerate it exciting."

Olivia pointed to herself, totally ignoring her husband. "I own my own clothes shop and Robert owns his own business as well. He makes toys for children."

Robert smiled at her. "And if you want I could bring you back something all the time. You could even help me that way. You could test the toys out and tell me if you like them. I don't really like dealing with the children they bring in. They seem too spoiled."

Helga shook her head as the laughter grew louder from the old man's recent joke. "I don't like toys anymore. I'm into other things."

Interest sparked in Olivia and Robert's eyes. "Really?" Olivia asked. "What kinds of things?"

Helga hesitated, unsure if it was a good idea to tell them. She decided not to tell them about her interest in poetry. It was something she had never told anyone except Mr. Simmons. And that was because he always had an assignment about poetry, as if it were some way to get her to show him her poetry. It always annoyed her. "I like playing baseball with all of my friends."

"Baseball huh?" Robert said, sounding impressed. "Baseball's a great sport. My favorite baseball player is Mickey Kaline (sp?). Too bad he had to retire."

Helga's eyebrow shot up. He likes that old player also? That's Arnold's favorite player. It seems that my love and Mr. Burdenane have the same interest

Olivia's mom came then with a pad and a pencil in her hand. Next to her was her husband, a skinny man and looking as healthy as Arnold's grandpa. He had all of his hair and he looked at old as Robert, except for the fact that all of his hair was gray. His wife also looked pretty young. She wore jeans and a large shirt with a baseball logo on it. Her gray hair was tied into a loose bun but Helga thought that if she let it go, it would cascade down to her waist.

Olivia's mom pointed towards her husband. "Deary, I'd like you to meet your new grandpa, Milton. And my name is Bertha. We're happy that our Olivia has a child now. She was quiet sad when she learned that she couldn't have any children."

Again Helga felt pain for Olivia and she didn't trust herself to speak so she merely nodded. Milton, however, came up and shook her hand up and down wildly. "Please to meet ya granddaughter. We're always happy to have a new addition to our family."

Helga immediately liked this old man. He seemed like such a pleasant person; like a ray of sunshine during a dreary day. She smiled. "And I'm pleased to meet you and Bertha. I'm Helga."

Bertha looked at Olivia as if not understanding why Helga didn't call hem grandma and grandpa. Olivia only shook her head to indicate that it was too early for Helga to call them that. Then she made the sign that she would talk to her later about it.

Bertha turned back to Helga, who hadn't noticed the exchange of secret messages between Bertha and Olivia. She moved the pencil towards the pad. "What will you three like?" the cheeriness in her voice back.

Helga chuckled secretly at the fact that they hadn't even given them menus and decided instead to order something real. She knew now that she wouldn't have to eat cereal 24/7 since her late mom never made dinner for her. She liked that idea. "I'll have pancakes, short stack, with some syrup and butter, and a glass of milk," she ordered proudly.

Bertha wrote that down and then proceeded to take Olivia and Robert's orders which consisted of eggs, French toast, and coffee.

Bertha left to get their orders while Milton sat down next to Helga. He was smiling so much at her that Helga thought his mouth would fall from his face from exhaustion. She guessed he was really happy to finally have a granddaughter.

"So granddaughter," he started as his hands were cupped together. "How do you like Olivia and Robert so far?"

Helga blushed because she would have to reveal that she liked them okay. They were too nice for her to hide how she really felt and make them feel miserable later. They just didn't deserve it. "They're nice," she whispered so only they could hear.

Milton turned and smiled at the two, indicating that he knew Helga meant more than that. Olivia and Robert smiled back, thanking him for the information with the smile.

"What are you into?" Milton asked to change the awkward situation Helga was in.

Helga decided it was okay to share with them about her love of poetry, just as long as they didn't read it. Maybe she could even write them one that didn't have to do with a certain football-headed boy she was madly in love with. "I like poetry and baseball."

All three of them looked at her with slight shock. They would never have thought that a child her age would be interested in such a grown up thing that most people usually found boring. Robert's eyebrows burrowed. "You didn't tell us you liked poetry."

"I didn't really want to at first because I didn't want to share it but I guess I can now if you want to see it."

Olivia looked very pleased with the idea. "Yes Helga. That would be nice." She handed Helga a pencil and a small pad that Helga could use to write on.

She began and the three of them saw how alive she had become when she began to write. It was as if she were possessed. She hid it away from Milton who was trying to look as Olivia and Robert gave each other shocked, I-can't-believe-it looks. There as also a hint of pride in their eyes.

When Helga was finally done, she handed the pad and pencil back to Olivia and Milton moved to the other side so he could read it along with Olivia and Robert.

It read:

(Author's note: I own the poem. It's mine. I made it up myself. I'm not very poetic but I tried my best to come up with a poem that dealt with Helga's feelings. If you want to borrow the poem for any reason, e-mail me and ask for my permission first. Tell me for what you want to use it and then depending on what you told me, I'll let you use it or I won't)

_A new life is born_

My life

So many times I wished for this

But I thought I could never have it

The yearning inside me grew each day

Yet I felt like it only pushed the pain deeper

But that has stopped because I now have the one 

Thing I've always wanted:

Love

All three of them looked up at Helga, speechless. None of them knew what to say. Helga smiled nervously at them. "I guess it reveals the way I feel."

"Helga," Olivia said softly with a shine coming from her eyes. Tears. She was very impressed with Helga. "I-We didn't know you had such a talent."

Helga shrugged. "It's nothing really. I just write a bunch of words that give a meaning."

"A bunch of words?" Robert asked, dumbfounded that she would call this "a bunch of words". "Helga, this is beyond that. You have a special gift that needs to be nurtured. Didn't your other parents say anything about this special gift you have?"

Helga looked down at the floor. She was no longer sad about the whole thing but remembering how they didn't even listen made her sad and she wished it could have been different. "No. I never told them. They didn't even notice me anyway. They would never have guessed."

Milton looked at Robert and Olivia, his look asking for answers. Both only nodded at him, answering his question. He turned back to Helga with sad eyes (they seem to really understand each other don't they?).

At that moment, Bertha decided to make her entrance. She came with four plates in her hands. She held two while the other two were being balanced on her forearms. She set the plates down in front of everyone and then sat down herself (don't worry. She has some people working for her who will deal with the customers). She was going to say something when she saw the look on everyone's face. Milton and Helga looked sad while Robert and Olivia were reading a piece of paper. They had shocked looks on their faces. She frowned. "What's eating everyone?"

Helga snapped out of her depression and instead looked at the yummy pancakes before her. She smiled. "My favorite." She drowned them in syrup and took a bite.

Olivia made an indication with her head that she wanted to talk to Bertha and both of them got up and walked over to the pay phone near the bathroom. Bertha looked confused the whole time. "What's eating the girl?"

Olivia sighed. "Robert asked her about her parents and she got sad. I don't think it was sadness from their death. It was sadness because she admitted to us that they never paid attention to her." She brought out the piece of paper Helga had written on. "I want you to take a look at this and tell me what you think."

Bertha took the paper and read as Olivia waited patiently. She didn't have to wait long. Bertha looked up at her with a shocked, impressed look. "She wrote this?"

Olivia nodded. "So you like it?"

"I love it!" she squealed softly. "And I can already tell why you wanted me to see it."

Olivia nodded. "A gift like Helga's needs to be trained, nurtured, and practiced. Not wasted. You could send them the poem and ask them if they like it. If they do, then I'll ask Helga to write more poems so she can make her own book. She could be a famous poet."

"Are you sure the girl would like this?"

The happiness in Olivia's eyes disappeared. "I guess I should ask her first. Maybe writing poetry isn't what she wants to do with her life. But it would be a shame if that were true. She could be the youngest poet in the world." (Note: I don't know if that last statement was true since I don't read poetry all that much and I don't know a lot of poets so I don't know if there was ever someone younger than 9 who was a poet. If there is, tell me) 

Bertha nodded. "Ask her first."

Olivia agreed and they walked back to where everyone was sitting. Helga and Robert were laughing at something Milton had said and both of the women were glad that the tension was broken. They sat down.

"What are the three of you going to do today?" Bertha asked as she sipped her coffee.

"We were going to let Helga decide on that one," Robert answered with a smile as he turned to look at her. "Where would you like to go?"

Helga considered it. There was Dino Land…no, she'd been there way too many times…There was the aquarium…no, she wasn't interested in any trip that was a "learning experience"…She had it! The carnival was in town for three weeks and she had never gone in her life. It was too far away from her house and her late parents never wanted to take her. She smiled at everyone. "I want to go to the Fantasy Carnival." (Yeah, it's the same carnival from before. The one Robert and Olivia offered to Helga for her and her friends.)

Everyone smiled and Robert laughed. Helga thought for a moment that they were going to say no. Her heart beat fast as she waited for their answer.

"The Fantasy Carnival huh?" Robert laughed pleasantly. "We can do that. It would be fun."

Helga smiled from ear to ear at their response. They were taking her! They actually said yes! Her late parents rarely said yes to her.

Olivia and Robert stood up from the booth after they had finished their breakfast. "Alright then," Robert said proudly. "Let's go."

Helga ran out of the diner without saying goodbye to her new grandparents (okay, that's a little mean but they understand how excited she is). She waited impatiently near the car as Olivia and Robert said goodbye to Bertha and Milton.

This was going to be the best day ever!

~~~~~~~~~~

Helga was right. It was the best day she had ever had. They had spent all day at the carnival. Robert had given her enough money to play as many games as she wanted and Helga had spent it all on one game. She was determined to win a large white bear with a red heart shaped stomach and the words "I love you" written on them. Aside from that, it had a cute red ribbon tied around its neck. Its nose was heart shaped, it had hearts for paws and it had them on its feet. It was the nicest bear she had ever seen.

After many hours of trying, and after putting so much effort into making all the rings into the bucket so far away, she was finally able to win the bear. Robert and Olivia had congratulated her and treated her to ice cream for her efforts. The bear was bigger than her so Robert carried it for her.

As another award for not giving up, they rented a movie of Helga's choice and they watched it before she was forced to go to bed for school the next day.

(Note: Yeah, it's a little rushed but it's not like their little outing was interesting. It was fun for them but not fun for you to read about it. You really didn't miss out)

When Helga went to school the next day, she felt happier than she had ever felt in her life. She walked into the school building humming to herself. She was humming the song from the movie she had watched the other night.

When everyone saw how happy Helga was, and how she didn't beat up on anyone, they began to talk about it. No one (except Arnold maybe) had seen Helga like this. She actually acted…nice. She walked in and said hi to everyone in a nice, calm tone, and not once did she laugh or mock anyone.

Phoebe walked up to Helga after seeing her weird behavior. "Hi Helga."

Helga looked at her as she opened her locker. "Hi Pheebs. Isn't it just a beautiful day?"

Phoebe smiled nervously. "Y-Yeah Helga. Why weren't you at school yesterday? I was worried something had happened."

Helga's smiled broadened. She threw her arms up into the air excitedly. "Something did happen Pheebs! You'll never guess what!"

Phoebe wasn't the smartest girl in the school for nothing. She grew excited. "Helga…did you…?"

Helga nodded like crazy. "I was adopted! And by the nicest family you'll ever meet! Both of them are so perfect!"

Phoebe hugged her best friend. "That's so great! I'm happy for you Helga." She pulled away. "So you weren't in school yesterday because you went on an outing with them?"

"Yeah. It was the best day of my life!" Helga yelled excitedly as she closed her locker. She walked with Phoebe to Mr. Simmons class. "They took me to meet my grandparents and then they took me to the carnival that was on the other side of town. After, we watched a movie." Helga laughed. "And you'll never guess where I live now."

"Where?"

Instead of telling her, Helga led her to the window and pointed to the purplish-red building in front of the school. Phoebe's eyes widened. "You live across the street from the school?" she asked in disbelief.

Helga nodded. Before she could tell her anymore, a voice cut in. Helga turned and saw Arnold with the most confused look on his face.

Helga smiled. "Hi Arnold. Great day isn't it?"

Arnold hadn't expected that. His confused look took on one of worry. "Are you alright Helga?"

Helga chuckled silently to herself. It was obvious to her that he hadn't heard the good news. She decided not to tell him. "I'm fine Arnold." She guided Phoebe away from the window and towards Mr. Simmons class.

Gerald came up to Arnold. "Man, that was weird. Helga…acting nice? What kind of universe are we living in?"

Arnold didn't answer and instead the both of them walked on to Mr. Simmons class.

~~~~~~~~~~

For everyone except Helga, the day was weird. Not once did Helga tease or mock anyone, especially Arnold. He had expected many times that Helga was going to toss a spitball at him or pour tapioca on his shirt in the lunch line.

It was nice to have Helga acting so nice. Weird, but nice nonetheless.

Later, Arnold was looking for Gerald but he found Helga instead. She was seated on a bench, her head supported by her palm. She had looked happy all day but in that moment, she looked…rather sad.

Arnold approached her, no longer afraid that she would pound him if he did. "What's wrong Helga?"

Helga slightly jumped when her name was called. She looked up at Arnold and sighed. "I guess I just miss Ardine."

Arnold's confused looked was back. "Who's Ardine?"

"A girl I met at the orphanage. She was older than me but she was really nice, and she showed me the ropes around the place." Her voice went lower and softer. "I wonder how she's doing…"

Arnold was still confused. "Wait. I don't get it. How can you miss someone you see everyday? She's at the orphanage isn't she? Unless she got adopted."

Helga shook her head. "She not the one who got adopted." She paused so she could give Arnold the full affect. "I was."

Arnold's eyes widened as a smile came upon his face. He ran over and hugged Helga. (Is it my imagination or does Arnold hug Helga a lot? If you notice the episodes where Helga does something nice for Arnold, he always seems to end up hugging her. Hmm…maybe he gets really excited…or MAYBE he likes her, likes her (although I hate to use the same phrase as stupid Lila (die witch die ;) ))…hmm…) "That's great Helga! I'm so happy for you!"

Helga smiled and he pulled away. "Thanks. But I still don't know what to do about Ardine."

Arnold thought for a while but finally came to a conclusion. "Why don't you go visit her?"

Helga's face brightened. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? I'll go visit her! But I'd have to ask permission first."

"I'll go with you if you want," Arnold offered. "For support."

Helga smiled at his offer. "Sure Arnold. That would be nice."

"Okay, then after school meet me at the main door. We'll go to your house and ask for permission."

Helga nodded as the bell rang. They walked to class and Helga was happy because Arnold, her love, was going with her.

~~~~~~~~~~

After school was over, Helga waited outside for Arnold where he had said for her to wait. Everyone had already cleared and Helga was growing a little impatient. She was just about to forget about letting him come with her when she stopped and saw him running towards her. He stopped and took a breath. "Sorry…I took so…long…but Mr. Simmons wanted to…talk to me about something."

"Geez Football Head," she said playfully, her irritation at him for being late almost one. "I was just about to go without you."

"Sorry," he said as he scratched his head nervously. "So, where do you live?"

Helga pointed to the same building she had shown Phoebe. "Right there."

Arnold's eyes shot open. "You live across the street from the school?"

Helga nodded and began walking home. Arnold followed, still not over the shock that Helga was adopted and that she lived so close to the school. "So what's your name now?" he asked so they wouldn't have to walk in silence.

Helga shrugged. "I guess you can call me Helga Rose Burdenane." (Note: Her new parents told her her new name. I think it had a nice ring to it, don't you? ^_^)

Arnold smiled at the name. "That's a really pretty name."

Helga blushed but tried to hide it.

Finally, they both reached her house. Helga opened the door with a key and let Arnold go first. He walked in awkwardly.

"I'm home!" Helga yelled softly to announce her presence. She walked off and looked in one of the rooms while Arnold admired the nice house. Helga seems to have hit it big with this family. They seem rich but are they nice to her? The thought of them not being nice scared him because he didn't want Helga to be into another unloving family. It would destroy her.

"Helga!" said an excited voice from one of them rooms. It sounded female. "I'm glad you're home. Did you ask any of your friends if they wanted to go to the carnival?"

"No. But I was wondering if you would give me permission to go visit Ardine from the orphanage. I told her I would visit."

Olivia stood up from the bed and began to walk to the kitchen. "Of course you can go. As long as you're careful." She stopped when she spotted a nervous Arnold. She looked at him curiously. "Who is this?" she asked with mischief. Maybe Helga's boyfriend or crush… she wondered.

"Uh, this is Arnold, one of my friends from school," Helga introduced as she held a palm out towards him. "He's going with me to visit Ardine." She looked at Arnold. "Arnold, this is Olivia Burdenane."

Olivia's face saddened and Arnold knew why. "Pleased to meet you."

Olivia tried to smile. "Same here." She walked around the kitchen. "I want you home by 9 okay?"

Helga nodded and smiled. "Sure." She motioned for Arnold to follow and went out of the house with him.

"Your new mom seems nice," Arnold reported to her.

"Yeah," Helga said softly without emotion. "She's okay."

They began walking on the sidewalk towards the bus stop and waited for it.

"Did you see the face she made?" Arnold asked as he looked at Helga.

Helga turned to look at him with a puzzled look. "What face?"

Arnold sighed as the bus came and they got on. They dropped the coins into the coin slot and sat down. "The sad face. She looked sad about the fact that you didn't call her mom or something."

The bus lunged forward and Arnold and Helga grabbed the rail for support. "I'm just not ready to call her that yet. It's…too soon," she said softly.

Arnold placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah. You may be right. But it made her sad either way."

Helga didn't say anything as she looked out the window.

"You remember what I told you Helga?" Arnold asked.

_I just…wanted to tell you that I know what you're going through so if you ever need someone to talk to…I'll always be there_

Helga smiled and turned to him. "Yeah. I remember. Thanks Arnold."

Arnold smiled back reassuringly and for the rest of the trip they didn't say anything. They just enjoyed the feel of each other's company. However, Arnold began to feel funny around Helga. His stomach felt like it had knots and he felt nervous, like when he felt around Ruth or Lila, or even…Cecile. But the difference was that with Cecile it was a nice kind of nervousness. It wasn't a bad one like it was with Ruth or Lila. And he was feeling that nice nervousness around Helga. Could it be that he…? He shook his head. No, it can't be possible

A while later they arrived at the orphanage. Arnold looked up at the humongous building with awe as Helga went inside. "Come on Arnold!" she ordered.

He snapped out of it and followed her inside.

Helga walked right up to the black receptionist, the same one Helga had seen the first day she got there about a week ago. "Hi Mrs. Ortine," Helga greeted with a smile.

Mrs. Ortine (finally gave her a name ^_^) looked up from her papers and smiled. "Helga! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here? Are you having problems at home?" The last question came out with worry.

"No, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to visit Ardine and Calvin."

Mrs. Ortine's face saddened as her fingers lightly touched her lips. "I'm sorry Helga but Ardine was adopted. She's not here anymore."

Helga was shocked. She stood there, not sure what to think. She was glad Ardine finally had a new family but…

Arnold placed a reassuring hand on Helga's shoulder.

Mrs. Ortine smiled. "But seeing as how you're Ardine's best friend, I'll give you the address to where she lives." She shrugged. "Besides, Ardine wanted me to give it to you if you came looking for her."

Helga smiled as Mrs. Ortine wrote the address on a piece of paper and handed it to Helga.

Helga thanked her and both her and Arnold ran out of there and walked towards a bus stop. From there they could see which bus was the one that could take them to Ardine's new house.

While they waited, Arnold decided to ask a burning question he had for s short while. "Who's Calvin? You never mentioned him."

Helga smiled. Is it just me or does he sound jealous? "Calvin is Ardine's 6 year-old brother." Her face saddened. "He lost the ability to talk when he and Ardine found their parent's dead."

"What happened to them?"

Helga sighed and told him the whole story. By the time she finished, Arnold gave the same look Helga had when she first heard it. "That's terrible…" Arnold breathed.

"Yeah. It's even worse than the way my parents died."

Once again they were trapped in a comfortable silence, the both of them enjoying the company of the other.

~~~~~~~~~~

During the trip Helga couldn't stop herself from falling asleep. She unconsciously laid her head down where it landed on Arnold's shoulder. Arnold blushed but decided to let her sleep. She's been through so much. She deserves the rest

After a long while, they made it to the street where Ardine lived. Arnold didn't want to wake Helga from her peaceful sleep but if he didn't, they would miss their stop. He shook her lightly. "Wake up Helga. We're here."

Helga's eyes fluttered open and she sat up, yawning. They got up and got off the bus.

Helga took out the address from her backpack. Number 332 Apt. F

Helga picked up her head and looked around. "Look for 332," she ordered Arnold. They began walking down the street.

"There it is," Arnold pointed towards the pink colored building with trees in front of it and flower pots outside the window.

They had to cross the street and Arnold grabbed Helga's hand as they crossed. Neither of them noticed that the other one was blushing.

They opened the door and walked up the stairs, looking at each door as they did so. "Apt. D…Apt. E…ah! Apt. F."

Helga became a little nervous so she breathed and knocked. A woman in her late thirties opened the door. She had shoulder length black hair and light blue eyes. She was dressed in a flowery dress and she had an apron on her that was covered with flour. "Can I help you miss?" she asked softly.

Helga smiled nervously. "Does Ardine live here now?"

"Why do you ask?" She sounded suspicious.

"I'm Helga, Ardine's friend from the orphanage. I came to see her."

Just then, Ardine appeared from behind the woman. She smiled excitedly when she saw Helga and she made her way towards her. They both hugged. "I'm so glad you found me Helga."

They pulled away and were let in. Helga observed the house. Calvin was on the floor playing with his toys and the woman, Ardine, and Calvin seemed to be the only ones in the apartment.

Ardine led Arnold and Helga towards her room and closed the door. "So you were adopted too huh?" Helga asked the obvious with a smile.

"Yeah," answered Ardine as she sat on the bed. "Ms. Japper is a nice lady. She never married so she had some extra space." She noticed Arnold from the locket but decided to act like she didn't know. "Who's your friend?"

"Ardine, this is Arnold. Arnold, this is Ardine, the friend I made while I was in the orphanage."

They exchanged their 'pleased to meet you's and Ardine turned back to look at Helga. "What about you? What's the family you live with like?"

"They're a nice couple," Helga answered as she sat down across from her. "They've been treating me nicely."

The rest of the visit went on like that. They included Arnold into it. Ardine asked some questions about him like where he lived and whom he lived with. Ardine was surprised that he was an orphan like them in a way. But other than that it was pleasant. Ardine would even look at Helga and smile, as if saying Good catch with Arnold or something around those borders.

After a long time of talking, Helga looked at the clock and gasped. It was 8! She had to be home by 9 and it took a while to get home.

"I have to go Ardine," Helga said as she and Arnold stood up. "I have to be home by 9."

"Okay. But let me give you my phone number so you can call me. And give me yours so I can call you."

They exchanged telephone numbers and Helga and Arnold left after saying goodbye to Ms. Japper.

"I liked your friend," Arnold told her on the way home. "She seemed really nice."

Helga nodded. "She was the one who helped me with everything while we were living in the orphanage." She paused for several seconds and sighed. "Hey…Arnold?"

He turned to look at her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks," she muttered.

He smiled and placed a hand over hers. "Anytime."

~~~~~~~~~~

At school the next day, Helga went around inviting everyone she knew to the carnival. She told most of them to bring their own money because her family wasn't going to pay for everything. (Note: Shoot! Okay, this is out of the blue but I forgot about Bob's beepers. Let's just say that some other people took it over but are giving Helga around 60% of what they get since she's the owner's daughter.)

Finally the day came when they went to the carnival (on Saturday). Harold, Stinky, Sid, Gerald, Eugene, Sheena, Nadine, Phoebe, Curly (yes, I'm insane for inviting him. Oh well), Arnold (^_^) and yes, even Rhonda decided to go. She just didn't want to admit that she liked the Fantasy Carnival.

Against Helga's protests, Robert and Olivia gave each kid a certain amount of money to spend. They all ran off in their own direction to spend it.

Helga, however, didn't know what to spend the money on. She didn't want to play any games (since she was tired from the one she played in order to get the bear), she didn't feel like riding anything, and she was definitely not hungry.

She turned around when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Arnold, who looked somewhat nervous. "Uh, Helga, do you…want to ride the Ferris wheel with me?"

Helga practically jumped for joy on the outside while she was doing it on the inside. She stayed composed on the outside. "Sure. Whatever floats your boat Arnold."

Arnold smiled as they got in line. It took all the willpower Helga had not to just grab him and kiss him. However, she was still happy that he had asked. Could this mean that he…likes me? But it couldn't be. No matter how much I wish for it

Helga's face turned sad by the time Helga and Arnold boarded the cart. Arnold wasn't exactly the most observant person but he noticed the look on her face. "What's wrong Helga?" he asked when the cart moved upward.

Helga jumped slightly and blushed. She couldn't tell him the real reason she was sad. If she did that then she might as well tell him how she feels, but it's not like she was thinking about doing that now. She decided to lie about it. "I-I was just…thinking about my dead family." It didn't make her as sad as before but she had to come up with something.

"Oh Helga," Arnold said softly as he took her hand. "It's okay to think about them but it's better when you think about the good times you had with them."

Helga laughed but it was empty and Arnold could tell. She was trying her best to hide the excitement she felt at him holding her hand. (She is a good actress after all ^_^) "The good days? There were no good days."

Arnold's eyebrows burrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I MEAN that all the memories I have of them are bad. None of them are good," Helga said as the cart stopped at the very top. They could see the whole park from here but all the two of them were interested in was each other and their conversation.

"Like which ones?"

Helga paused a minute to think. Which memory could she tell him about? There were so many. Like the one where her dad always yelled around the house or how they would only pay attention to Olga and never to her. She sighed, now sad because of remembering. "Never mind."

"Helga," Arnold urged softly. "You have to remember what I told you. I know what you're going through so if you need someone to talk to, I'll always be there."

In a way he does know she thought as she looked straight ahead. He's not a full orphan but he doesn't have parents like I do She turned to Arnold and smiled. "Thanks Arnold."

He smiled back. I'm always glad when I manage to make her smile. It looks better than the mock smile she always used to have "So you want to talk about it?"

Helga hesitated and nodded.

Meanwhile, down below stood Olivia and Robert with one arm around each other. Both were smiling as they saw Arnold and Helga up on the Ferris wheel. They were happy for her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Arnold and Helga got off laughing from the Ferris wheel. After they had talked about Helga's sad past, Arnold decided to lighten the mood a little by telling jokes (I know. I can't really imagine Arnold telling jokes to Helga either but it's still a nice scene). 

They went to meet up where everyone was supposed to go when the time hit 10 p.m. They all stood in front of the entrance.

"Thank you for inviting us," Rhonda said in her sweetest voice when her parents came to pick her up. "It was fun."

"Gowsh," Stinky drawled. "It sure was a hoot."

Everyone thanked them in their own way and then went off with their parents. Arnold was the last to go.

"Thank you for inviting me," he said as she shook Robert's hand. "That was fun."

Robert smiled at him (oh, and Olivia and Helga can't hear them). "Anytime. Stop by our house whenever you like. Helga seems to really need someone like you who can understand her and comfort her."

Of course Arnold, being as dense as he was, didn't get what he meant by that. He just smiled. "Yeah. I'll do that."

Arnold turned and walked towards Olivia and Helga. He shook her hand too and told her thank you. She winked at him but he didn't understand why.

Then he turned to Helga. "Well, I'll see you at school Monday."

Helga smiled. "Sure. See you then."

Arnold went out of the carnival and left with his grandparents. During the drive home he couldn't seem to keep his mind off of Helga and how nice she was now that she had a loving family. He sighed and smiled before falling asleep in the car.

~~~~~~~~~~

School went on as usual for Monday. Helga was still nice to everyone and she didn't bother anyone. Everyone had actually gotten used to her that way. They were glad she was different.

The only one who wasn't used to it was Arnold. Everytime Helga was nice or did something nice (like the time she saved a kid from Wolfgang (yeah, the same as Ashley from my story "Who's that girl?")), he began to get a funny feeling inside that seemed to concentrate itself in his chest, in his mind, and especially in his soul. It was a nice feeling but he didn't understand it.

After school, Helga had waited until everyone left before she decided to head towards a place of a past. She stood on the edge of a corner and peered on the other side. The coast was clear.

Before leaving, she looked up at the balcony of her house and saw that the shades were drawn. With that out of the way, she ran towards the bus stop.

~~~~~~~~~~

The memory still stood, empty and alone, with no one living inside of it. Helga shifted her backpack on the other shoulder and walked towards the large blue building she once called her home. On the outside it looked pretty much the same. Helga looked around and walked up the stoop. She didn't think it would be open.

She was proven wrong.

She turned the knob and the door opened, revealing to Helga a lonely house with no one to take care of it. Nothing was hanging on the wall, the floors were dusty and with pieces of wood, and there was some hanging wire from the wall.

Helga slowly made her way up the stairs towards her old room.

She missed the sign on the wall that said, "To be demolished Monday afternoon".

She opened the door gingerly and stepped in. Her room looked the same as the rest of the house. Her old wallpaper still hung on her wall but without all the furniture, it just didn't feel right.

Helga sat down in the middle of the room and she began to feel tears come to her eyes. No! I won't let myself get sad over this! I refuse to cry! However, the tears did not stop.

Helga huddled into a little ball and cried her eyes out.

Had she been quiet, she would have heard the demolition crew coming over to the house.

"Okay Larry!" shouted a tall muscle man with a hard hat. "The building goes down now so let her rip!"

Larry, a short man with glasses, smiled and thumbs-upped his partner. He pulled a lever and sent the ball crashing into the building…

~~~~~~~~~~

Helga stayed in the little ball position but stopped crying when she heard a rumbling. Her head jerked up like a bullet as she felt the house move. The house was shaking!

Helga got up and ran out of the room and towards the bottom of the stairs. Could it be an earthquake? she thought as she reached the bottom, her heart racing the whole time. She stopped and then felt nothing. The house was still. Suddenly, she heard a loud creaking noise coming from above. It felt like the roof was going to give way. She looked up and screamed, blocking herself with her arms as many pieces of the roof came crashing down…

~~~~~~~~~~

A scream ripped through the noise of the demolition machine. "Stop Larry!" the muscle guy ordered.

Larry had managed to stop it before it hit the building even more. "What is it Carl?"

Carl carefully made his way towards the building that was partially down already. The roof was the only thing that had fallen so far. The closer he approached the building, the louder the screaming and crying became. "Hello?" he called softly.

"Help me," came the small feminine voice from inside. She sounded young and hurt. She cried. "Help!"

"Okay," Carl soothed. "I'll call help." He ran out towards the street and yelled for help.

Larry looked out towards him. "What's going on Carl?"

Carl looked at him. "Didn't you hear the little girl screaming in there?"

Larry's eyes widened. "There's someone in there?!"

Carl ignored him as she continued to yell for help (Note: See the situation: They don't have a phone for emergencies and this Carl guy is new to the job so he doesn't know how to handle these type of things).

Who should come walking down the street together? Robert and Arnold of course. Both of them were looking for Helga. Olivia had called him and told him that Helga hadn't gotten home yet and she was worried. Robert was looking for her when he bumped into Arnold. Now all three of them were looking for her. Olivia was a block away so Robert and Arnold were looking down Helga's old street.

Carl approached them. "Excuse me sir. You've got to help me. Someone's trapped inside that building," he said with urgency.

Robert looked at Arnold. "Could it be…?"

"I hope not," Arnold tried to reassure him.

All three walked over to the half-demolished building and Robert cupped his hands near his mouth to make his voice louder. "Who's in there?"

"Mr. Burdenane?" came the small, hurt voice from inside the building.

"Oh god. It's Helga!" Robert shouted to Arnold. His eyes were wide and the only sounds he could hear were the creaking of the house and the beat of his own heart.

Arnold didn't wait. He went into the building while Robert shouted at him to stop. He sighed heavily and followed him.

"Helga!" Arnold shouted with his hands in the same position as Robert had it before. "Where are you?"

"Arnold?" came the surprised voice from behind some rubble. 

Arnold moved some of it out of the way and found Helga. She was covered in dust and she had a piece of the roof over part of her body. It covered her stomach and had even hit her leg. "Help me," she said softly, barely able to speak with the weight of the piece of roof on her.

"Helga!" Robert yelled, worried as he came up behind Arnold. With both of their strength, they managed to move the piece of roof from her.

Arnold walked up her and scooped her in his arms. "Are you alright Helga?"

She snuggled against him, making him blush. I am now that you're here "I'm fine. My stomach and leg hurts but I'm okay."

Robert let Arnold carry Helga and in fact, he was smiling the whole time as they made their way out of the partially demolished building.

"Helga!" a female voice yelled from across the street. All three looked towards the yelling and found Olivia running like the wind towards them. She looked very worried.

"Are you alright?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

Helga smiled weakly. "I'm okay. And I'm so lucky to have you…mom and dad."

Tears of happiness slid down Olivia and Robert's cheeks as Helga closed her eyes and passed out…

~~~~~~~~~~

"Doctor Loera to the emergency room! Doctor Loera to the emergency room!" called the voice from the intercom.

Helga slowly opened one eye forcefully. She moved her eye around to see where she was and saw three blurs four blurs around her. She adjusted her eyes and saw Olivia, Robert, Phoebe, and even Arnold there, all with relief splashing on their faces.

Olivia hugged Helga. "I'm so glad you're okay," she sobbed out.

"What happened?" Helga asked to anyone.

"You passed out," Arnold answered sheepishly, blushing a bit.

"Oh Helga," Phoebe chimed and hugged her while Olivia was still hugging her.

Helga chuckled. "I'm okay. You don't need to smother me."

Both of them pulled away and Olivia smiled. "All right then. Since you're awake, Robert and I will get you something to eat." She dragged Robert out and gave him a wink as they exited.

"And I shall get you some water," Phoebe said and she, too, left.

Helga felt a little strange because now she was alone with Arnold (^_~). Her face took on the same shade of pink as her dress. She looked instead at her leg that was being supported and had a cast around it.

"You had us all worried Helga," Arnold said calmly, softly, and seriously, looking her head in the eye.

He tried to hide it but Helga could hear the worry that still hung in his voice, as if she hadn't woken up yet. She smiled in an attempt to reassure him. "Well you can see that I'm okay now Arnold. You don't have to worry."

Arnold sighed. "Why were you in there anyway?" He still kept his voice soft and not accusing. The last thing he wanted was a fight.

Helga looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry. I just…wanted to visit it. To see if someone was living there I guess. I don't really know."

Arnold chuckled as he took her hand. He wanted to change to mood into a happy one. "I guess you didn't see the sign."

Helga chuckled with him. "I guess not."

An awkward silence hung in the air, waiting for words unsaid to be said. The clock in the room clicked away the seconds as Arnold bit his lip but kept his hand where it was. Helga, meanwhile, looked outside the window and tried hard to hide her blush.

"Helga?"

Helga turned her head towards Arnold to see his face serious and determination in his bright green eyes. "Yeah?"

Arnold sighed but smiled at the thought. "I don't really need to worry that you'll pound me if I tell but…*sigh* here goes."

Helga waited patiently for him to continue, wondering what it was he had to say. His face had gone back to its determined state and the only noises Helga could hear were his breathing and her heart beating. She hoped with all of her heart that he would say…

"I like, like you."

Helga's eyes widened and her body went into a state of pure shock (picture how she looks when Arnie confesses his love for her. That's how she is right now).

"Y-You do?" she asked shakily.

Arnold nodded. "And I know you don't like me even though I'm confused on how come you've been acting so nice to me but I do like you Helga. A lot."

Helga laughed and it only made this worse for Arnold. It wasn't a mean laugh but it still hurt. "Arnold," she said cheerily. "I like you too. A lot."

Arnold's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah. In fact, I love you. I always have. Ever since I was 3."

Arnold couldn't believe it.

Helga went ahead and told him all her secrets, or at least the ones she wasn't shamed about.

Arnold smiled when she was done. "To think you did such a nice thing for me, finding Mr. Hyunh's daughter. And you're Cecile, my dream girl."

Helga blushed at that but blushed even worse when Arnold went up and kissed her (I'm a sucker for them kissing ^_^. I don't care that they're so young because I know how in love Helga is and how in love Arnold would be with her if he knew).

Robert and Olivia stood outside with food for Helga. Both were smiling at the scene.

The End

Ah! You actually think that's the end? I'm much too nice to leave it at that. Here's a little epilogue to the aftermath. Enjoy!

~Epilogue~

The sound of giggling was heard all throughout the house as a man slept on a reclining chair with the TV on. The living room was dark except for a light that was streaming through the door.

Helga, a few months after the accident, sat with her Cecile outfit. Her 'mom' was fixing her hair the way Arnold liked it. 

Helga giggled. This was her first date with Arnold ever since the accident. They had only hung out in school but she could tell Arnold wanted to take her somewhere nice. He was (for some reason) to shy to ask her for a date but finally Helga had asked him and even before she could get all the words out of her mouth, he said yes.

"You look so nice Helga," Olivia commented as she placed her face next to Helga's so she could see her in the mirror.

"Thanks mom," Helga replied with a smile. Helga wasn't really used to calling her that but Olivia was. She was beaming in fact.

The doorbell rang and they both jumped. Olivia walked to the bedroom door and stopped. "That's probably him, here to whisk his lady away to her date."

"Mom," Helga whined playfully, still a little embarrassed. She followed Olivia out to the living room where Robert was, awake and smiling.

Helga walked to the door and saw Arnold standing there in his regular suit with the red tie. It was Helga's favorite suit. He looked so handsome in it.

Arnold's eyes widened playfully when he saw Helga. "Good evening everyone," He greeted to Olivia and Robert mainly. Arnold looked at Helga. "Ready to go?' he said softly.

Helga smiled and took his arm. Both walked out the door.

"Be back by 9!" Olivia shouted as her husband put an arm around her. She leaned into him and both smiled wide at seeing how happy Helga was now.

She had found the happiness she deserved…

The End II

Alright! It's done! I really really really hope you liked this story. It took me forever to write and I took up all my free time trying to finish it ASAP so you all could read it. Well, until "The Adventure of a Lifetime" (which I'm revising chapter 1). Please review!!

~Hitomi_Fanel


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